Cape Town - Proteas coach Russell Domingo says star bowler Kagiso Rabada needs to be managed carefully.
As a precaution, Rabada was rested for the second ODI against New Zealand in Christchurch due to a sore knee, but returned to deliver a stellar performance of 2/39, as the Proteas defeated the Black Caps in Wellington on Saturday.
Rabada made headlines last week when he became the only Proteas player bought at this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) auction and was sold to the Delhi Daredevils for close to R10m.
The fast bowler has had to deal with a lot of workload over the summer and still has to bowl a significant amount of overs in the upcoming Test series against New Zealand, the Champions Trophy and the England away series.
Now with a lucrative IPL contract in hand, the Proteas will need to manage Rabada's busy schedule with care more than ever as they head into a busy period.
Leaving a bowler of Rabada's calibre out is tough, but Domingo believes the Proteas will be able to manage the paceman's workload.
"There's a fine line between resting players and winning a series," Domingo told reporters in Wellington after the Proteas defeated the Black Caps on Saturday.
"You got to manage the process quite carefully particularly for a young player like KG (Rabada)," the coach said.
"I've read somewhere that he bowled 200 overs more than anybody else in the last year. He's only 21 and Andile (Phehlukwayo) is only 20, so those are two bowlers who need a lot of management.
"But it's hard to leave KG out of the next game in Hamilton, he's a seriously good bowler and it's no coincidence that when he's back in the mix we look like a different side.
"But we need to manage that carefully."
The Proteas lead the five-game ODI series 2-1, with the fourth ODI taking place on Wednesday, March 1 in Hamilton (03:30 SA time).